Attachment device for handbag handle or the like



June 19, 1962 D. l. REITER 3,039,506

ATTACHMENT DEVICE FOR HANDBAG HANDLE OR THE LIKE Filed Dec. 9, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 DANIEL l. REITER 3:, 8,41,! and Sid um June 19, 1962 D l. REITER 3,039,506

ATTACHMENT DEVICE FOR HANDBAG HANDLE OR THE LIKE Filed Dec. 9, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR DANIEL l. REITER BY Sa im am! Sfiqol ATTORNEYS United States Patent Ofiice 3,39,5% Patented June 19, 1962 3,039,506 ATTACHMENT DEVIQE FOR HANDBAG HANDLE GR THE LIKE Daniel I. Reiter, 11 E. 31st St., New York, N.Y. Filed Dec. 9, 1960,er. No. 74912 Claims. (l. 150-12) This invention relates to devices for attaching a handle to a handbag, and more particularly to devices which greatly increase the reliability of such attachment.

This application is a continuation-in-part of Serial No. 820,771 filed June 16, 1959, now Patent Number 2,978,- 776, and discloses and claims improvements upon the invention disclosed and claimed in that application.

As set forth in the aforesaid prior application, in the mass production of ladies handbags the cost of the handle fastening must be kept to a minimum if a mass market is to be reached and if competition is to be met. It has thus been the practice in the art to employ devices of extreme simplicity for providing the desired handle attachment.

One type of handbag handle employed heretofore is formed of rubber or similar flexible material and has a pair of longitudinal passages. Such handles may be attached to the associated handbag proper by employing a device having projections which are inserted in the passages. However, conventional devices employed for this purpose have not had the desired reliability, and it is not uncommon for the attachment to give way, particularly after hard or protracted use.

The invention described and claimed in the aforesaid prior application is a handle attachment device which meets the criteria of simplicity and economy and yet affords the desired reliability. That invention in one specific embodiment comprises an attachment device formed from a single sheet of stiff material having a body portion of generally rectangular configuration and a pair of substantially parallel elongated extensions at one end thereof. The extensions are provided with free extremities in the form of arrow-heads, and the tips of the extremities are bent substantially perpendicular to the remainder of the extensions. When the extensions are inserted in corresponding passages of a handle, the respective vertices of the arrow-heads engage different portions of the walls of the passages and prevent withdrawal of the extensions from the passages. The body portion of the attachment device is adapted to be secured to the handbag itself. This may be accomplished by bending the body portion about a ring secured to the handbag frame.

It is a principal object of the present invention to provide an improved attachment device of the foregoing general type.

Another principal object of the present invention is to provide a handle construction of extreme simplicity and economy and yet which presents a clean, pleasing appearance including the region of its connection to the handbag frame.

More specific objects of the invention are to provide a simple handle attachment device incorporating a preformed sleeve for a captive or separate ring, and to provide simple handle constructions including end caps which may be held in position on the handle by the cooperation of the handle ends and the attachment devices.

The foregoing and other objects, features, and advantages of the invention, and the manner in which the same are accomplished will become more readily apparent upon consideration of the following detailed description of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate preferred and exemplary embodiments of the invention, and wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a truncated perspective view illustrating the manner in which the invention of the aforesaid prior application may be employed for the attachment of a handle to a handbag;

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view illustrating an attachment device per se of the invention set forth in the prior application;

FIGURE 3 is a partly sectional elevation view illustrating the manner in which the device of FIGURE 2 engages the handle;

FIGURE 4 is a partly sectional elevation View, orthogonal to the view of FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 5 is an exploded perspective view illustrating one form of the present invention;

FIGURE 6 is an exploded perspective view illustrating another form of the present invention;

FIGURE 7 is a fragmentary plan view illustrating the manner in which a handle constructed in accordance with the present invention may include a covering;

FIGURE 8 is an exploded perspective view illustrating another form of the present invention; and

FIGURE 9 is a fragmentary perspective view illustrating the manner in which the parts of FIGURE 8 are assembled.

Briefly stated, and without limitation, in accordance with one concept of the present invention, the body portion of the attachment device is preformed to define a sleeve which may hold a captive ring adapted to be attached to the frame or which may be secured to a ring already attached to the frame. If the handle is to be covered, the covering procedure may be completed prior to assembly of handle and handbag. The appearance of an uncovered handle adjacent the junction to the handbag frame may be substantially improved in accordance with another concept of the present invention through the provision of a cap, which may be held in place simply by the cooperation of the handle end and the attachment device.

Referring to the drawings, in FIGURE 1 reference numeral 10 designates a ladies handbag of conventional construction, and in the form shown the handbag has a frame 12 along its upper extremity. Attached to the frame, as by welding, is a metal ring 14, of rectangular configuration in the form shown. A handle 16 is attached to the ring by an attachment device generally designated 18.

The handle may be formed of a material such as rubber and has a pair of longitudinal passages 20 on opposite sides of a longitudinal groove 22. In the form shown the handle is of generally semi-circular cross-section.

The attachment device is shown in FIGURE 2 prior to its assembly with the handle and the handbag. It is formed from a single piece of stiff sheet material, such as a suitable metal, and has a flat main body portion 24 of generally rectangular configuration and a pair of extensions 26 at one end of the main body portion. The extensions are elongated and substantially parallel and at their free extremities are provided with arrow-heads 28. The tips of the arrow-heads are bent over so as to be substantially perpendicular to the remainder of the extensions 26. The leading vertices 32 of the arrow-heads thus lie in a different plane from the trailing vertices 34.

In the use of the attachment device, the extensions 26 are inserted within corresponding passages 20 of the handle, and since the width of the extensions is made greater than the width of the passages, the latter are distended somewhat. When the extensions are substantially fully inserted, the relationship of the attachment device and the handle is as shown in FIGURES 3 and 4. As shown in FIGURE 3, the trailing vertices 34 engage and bite into the walls of the passages 20 in the plane of the extensions 26, and as shown in FIGURE 4, the leading vertices 32 engage and bite into the side walls of the passages 20 in an orthogonal plane. Each arrow-head thus is forced into the side wall of its corresponding passage at three separate locations.

To secure the attachment device to the ring 14 of FIG- URE 1, the body portion 24 may simply be bent back upon itself and upon the handle id to form a loop around the ring as shown and described in the aforesaid prior application. While such a junction is satisfactory if properly made, the durability of the junction is dependent upon the skill of the person who forms the loop, often an unskilled employee of the handbag manufacturer. If the loop is improperly forrned, a strong torque applied to the handle end may cause the loop to open, resulting in the separation of the handle from the handbag frame.

In accordance with the present invention. a much more reliable junction may be made by preforming a sleeve on the body portion 24 of the attachment device. This construction is illustrated in FIGURES and 6 at 36 and can be made by the manufacturer of the attachment devices (using standard machine techniques), rather than by the independent handbag manufacturer. The sleeve 36 may be formed by rolling over the end of the body portion 24 in a tight loop of small radius. Such a sleeve is much more resistant to opening than the relatively fiat loop of FIGURE 1 and permits the attachment device to be made from relatively thin metal sheets.

The construction illustrated in FIGURE 6 is analogous to the construction of FIGURE 1 in that the attachment device is to be secured to a ring which is already fixed to the frame 12. While the ring 14 of FIGURE 1 may be a continuous ring, the ring 38 of FIGURE 6 is an open ring. The sides of the ring are somewhat splayed prior to the assembly of handle and frame, so that the sleeve 36 may be aligned between the opposed ends 4% of the ring and the sides of the ring moved toward each other to insert the ends 40 into the sleeve. This simple operation may be easily performed by the employees of the handbag manufacturer, using preformed devices obtained from the attachment device manufacturer.

The construction of FIGURE 5 differs in that a ring 42, which may be similar to the ring 38, has its bight portion held captive within the sleeve 36 prior to assembly of the handle with the handbag frame. The sleeve may be rolled about the ring as the sleeve is formed and the attachment devices may thus be supplied with rings already captive. To assemble the handle and handbag frame the ends 44 of the ring 42 are aligned with a sleeve 46 fixed to the frame, and the splayed sides of the ring are urged toward each other to cause the ring ends 44 to enter the sleeve 46, again a simple operation which may be readily performed by the employees of the handbag manufacturer. For the sake of appearance, the handle may be provided with a suitable covering, such as leather, and an elongated strip 48 of the covering material may be wrapped about the handle so that its longitudinal edges are inserted within the groove 22 as shown in FIGURE 7. A terminal portion of the covering may be wrapped about the exposed portion of the attachment device 18 and lapped inwardly or outwardly with the preceding covering portion as shown. Suitable adhesives may be used to secure the covering to the handle. Another advantage of the construction of FIGURES 5 and 6 over the construction or" FIGURE 1 is that the procedure for covering the end of the handle may be completed prior to assembly of the handle with the handbag, ensuring that the handle is properly covered as a unit separate from the handbag.

When the handle is covered as illustrated in FIGURE 7, the handle ends present a neat and pleasing appearance. In some instances, however, as when economy is a paramount consideration, it is desired that the handle remain uncovered. In such an embodiment the handle presents a smooth appearance except at its ends. Here the openings to the passages and the groove 22 are exposed and detract from the appearance of the handle. FIGURES 8 and 9 illustrate a modification of the invention which provides an uncovered handle with a neat end while maintaini ing simplicity and economy. As shown in FIGURE 8, a short cap 59, of metal or plastic for example, having inside dimensions which fit the end of the handle 16 is utilized. The closed end of the cap is provided with fiat openings or slots 52 wide enough to accommodate the width of the arrow-heads 2% between the vertices 34. The height of the openings is made just suflicient to pass the thickness of the extensions 26, and the attachment device 18 must be turned relative to the cap to permit the insertion of the bent tip arrow-heads into the slots 52. To assemble the parts at the handle end, the cap 5t? may he slipped over the extensions 26 of the attachment device 18 and then the extensions 26 inserted within the passages 20 of the handle as before. In completing the assembly the cap is slipped over the end of the handle, assuming a final position at which its closed end is adjacent the body portion 24 of the fully inserted attachment device, as shown in FIG- URE 9. Such a construction has a finished, pleasing ap pearance. The cap 50 may be used with the preformed sleeve constructions of FIGURES 5 or 6, or with the construction of FIGURE 1 if desired, the caps being held on the handle by the cooperative action of handle ends and attachment devices, without the need for adhesive, rivets, or the like.

With the constructions of the present invention described above, the handle is securely attached to the handbag. If the handle is pulled, the vertices of the arrow-heads tends to bite more deeply into the walls of the passages 20 and prevent withdrawal of the extensions 26 from the passages. The tightly looped sleeves of the attachment devices prevent separation of the attachment devices from the handbag even under strong torsional stresses. The invention thus provides the desired permanence of attachment without requiring an attachment device which is economically impractical. The attachment devices of the invention may be formed by conventional stamping operations from inexpensive metal Stock, and no special materials or manufacturing processes are required. Moreover, the devices of the invention are readily capable of mass production in large quantity and are easily assembled with the associated handbag handles.

While preferred embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that changes can be made in these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined in the appended claims. Accordingly, the foregoing embodiments are to be considered illustrative, rather than restrictive of the invention, and those modifications which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be included therein.

The invention claimed is:

1. In combination, a handle having a longitudinal passage terminating at an end of said handle, a cap fitted over the handle end, the closed end of said cap having an opening in alignment with said passage, and an attachment device for said handle, said device comprising a single sheet of stiff material curved into a tightly looped, preformed sleeve at one end of the sheet and having an extension at the opposite end of the sheet passing through said cap opening and into said passage, the height of said cap opening being just sufficient to pass the thickness of said sheet, said extension terminating at a location intermediate the length of said passage in means for preventing detachment of said device from said handle.

2. The invention of claim 1, the last-mentioned means comprising points on said extension biting into the material of said handle.

3. In combination, a handle having a pair of generally parallel longitudinal passages terminating at an end of said handle, a cap fitted over the handle end, the closed end of said cap having a pair of slots in alignment with said passages, and an attachment device for said handle, said device comprising a body portion having a pair of extensions passing through said cap slots and into said passages, said extensions terminating intermediate the length of said passages and 'being provided with means thereon for preventing detachment of said device from said handle.

4. The invention of claim 3, said body portion of said attachment device having the end opposite said extensions curved into a tightly looped, preformed sleeve.

5. The invention of claim 4, said attachment device being a single sheet of stifi material with a generally rectangular body portion, said detachment preventing means being points on said extensions biting into the material of said handle.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Bosca Sept. 28, 1926 Reiter Dec. 13, 1938 White July 14, 1959 Reiter Apr. 11, 1961 FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain Apr. 7, 1927 

